All Your Burdens are Mine
by Miss Whip
Summary: A Phantom story. It's the way I wanted the story to end. I tried to make Raoul look good, even though he's not my fave character.


All Your Burdens are Mine  
  
Author: Drakelah  
  
Disclaimer: I own, well, none of the original characters…  
  
Summary: Just a short little story redeeming Raoul and ending the Phantom's story the way I'd have liked it. I'm a bigger fan of the Phantom than Raoul, but…  
  
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It had been five years since the incident of the Phantom of the Opera, and it had also been five years since the wedding of Christine and Raoul. In fact, truth be told, tonight was their anniversary. They were walking through the streets, celebrating with their young son. He skipped ahead of them, vibrant and full of energy at the age of four. Born a short nine months after his parent's wedding.  
  
Christine suddenly tugged at her husband's arm as they passed the cemetery, "I need to visit my father."  
  
"Must we dear? I feel that you will never heal from your wounds if you keep returning to the place they are inflicted."  
  
"I must. One can never be healed from the loss of a father."  
  
"You are right my dear, let us proceed then."  
  
Christine smiled at him and then turned to face her son, "Erik! Erik dear! Come to your mother!"  
  
The little boy happily ran back to the affectionate arms of his parents. Christine picked him up and kissed both of his cheeks and forehead, "My little angel. Would you like to help your mother give flowers to your grandfather?"  
  
"Yes mommy." He said, smiling. Little Erik often accompanied his mother to the cemetery to bring flowers. To him, the place so many others feared to tread was comfortable and easy to walk in. But then again, the child had never been afraid of things like the dark and death, which was most peculiar for a boy his age.  
  
Raoul stepped off to the side for a moment and bought a rose from a street vender.  
  
Then together, they walked into the graveyard, hands linked. Raoul handed the rose to Christine, and she gave it to Erik, "Go to your grandfather."  
  
As the boy ran to place the rose with his ancestor, Raoul and Christine sat down on stone bench that sat to the right of the pathway.   
  
"Christine, I have something to ask you."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"Erik."  
  
She drew in a deep breath, "What do you want to know about him? You've seen him every day since he was born."  
  
"Erik is not my son, is he?" Raoul said, looking down at the ground, hat in his hands.  
  
"Raoul, I - " She began, but stopped. There was no point in denying it, "No Raoul, Erik is not yours."  
  
"I never believed he was." Sighed Raoul, "The way he looked, acted, the way you sang to him of angels. You even called him your angel of music."  
  
"Raoul, I'm sorry. I should have told you sooner, but - " She stopped as he got up and took a few steps away from her.  
  
"Will you leave me now?" She asked, her voice trembling, near tears. Christine knew that Raoul would have every right to go, but he couldn't leave, not now!  
  
He turned abruptly, "Good God no!" He ran towards her and fell to his knees, "When I married you, all your burdens became my own. I have raised Erik as my child for five years, why in heaven would I stop now?"  
  
"I just thought that you wouldn't want me anymore."  
  
"Don't ever think that I don't love you Christine. I risked my life for you, and I do it a thousand times over if I knew that you were waiting for me each time, with you arms open to embrace me and your lips to kiss me. Never could I leave you."  
  
She was so relieved that she smiled in pure joy, "I was hoping you'd say that. I couldn't stand it if you'd left me now."  
  
"Why now?"  
  
"Because Raoul, the child that I've been carrying for the last three months is as much yours as mine."  
  
Raoul rose to his feet in jubilation, pulling Christine up with him. They embraced and laughed and kissed.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"  
  
"I knew you were suspecting of Erik, and I figured that if I'd told you, you would've felt beholden to me."  
  
"I was already yours."  
  
"But I couldn't trap you Raoul. Not after knowing how it feels to be held against one's will. Trapping someone is an awful thing to do."  
  
"The only chains that bind me are the chains of love I wear for you and Erik, and now, for this little one that will soon join our family." He leaned down to kiss her, and they embraced.  
  
Little Erik came running up, breathing hard, but happy, "Momma, momma! I have given the rose to grandfather!"  
  
"Such a splendid little helper you are!" Raoul laughed, lifting the boy off the ground with one arm. He let the child take the hat from his head and place it on his own, where it fell past the bright blue eyes of youth.  
  
"Little Imp!" Christine giggled, and entwined her fingers with Raoul's free hand.  
  
The family began to walk up the street, a more jovial group could not be found. Suddenly, Erik pointed up towards the sky,  
  
"Father, it's snowing!"  
  
"Indeed it is." Smiled Raoul, opening the gate that lead up to their house.   
  
As they walked up to the door, Raoul looked at the little boy in his arms, "Erik, what would you say to having a little brother or sister?"  
  
Erik smiled, "I would like that very much father."  
  
"That's very good, my son, very good." 


End file.
